Campaign rallies ahead of the August 12, 2021 national polls have been suspended with immediate effect following a more lethal COVID 19 Third Wave ravaging Zambia.
At a media briefing in Lusaka today, Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) Chief Electoral Officer Patrick Nshindano said that campaigns had not been suspended except for campaign rallies.
Mr. Nshindano said the suspension might be lifted after reviewing the situation adding that the Commission was disappointed with stakeholders that were debating the COVID 19 issue which had claimed lives.
Mr. Nshindano said the decision followed a recommendation from the Technical Committee and deliberations at yesterday’s Political Parties Consultative Forum.
He urged political parties to adopt other methods that attracted minimal numbers such as door-to-door campaigns.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nshindano said the 2021 General Election will go ahead as planned because elections are a Constitutional matter urging the media to act responsibly to prevent misinformation.
He urged Zambians to ignore the false media reports that Zambia Institute of Health recommended for the postponement of elections adding that elections could only be postponed if Zambia entered the State of Emergency.
The ECZ Chief said Zambians needed to act responsibly to prevent the State of Emergency through a lockdown if COVID 19 cases became uncontrollable.
Mr. Nshindano dismissed insinuations that the measures by ECZ were meant to favour some political parties.
At the same briefing, Health Permanent Secretary Kennedy Malama said laxity had resulted in the outbreak of a COVID 19 Third Wave.
He said Zambia had in the last 24 hours recorded 825 new COVID – 19 cases out of over 10 000 tests, representing an 8% positivity rate, one of the highest so far.
Dr. Malama said Zambia recorded four COVID- 19 deaths all from Lusaka with a cumulative total of 1288 deaths so far.
The Health PS said Zambia had so far recorded 92 320 recoveries cumulatively.
He revealed that the latest figure brought to over 97 000 cumulative total of COVID- 19 patients.
Dr. Malama said Zambia now had 66 out of the 116 districts affected by COVID – 19.
The Health Permanent Secretary urged leaders both from the ruling and the opposition to make drastic measures to avoid collapsing Zambia’s health security.
Dr. Malama explained that evidence existed globally that super spreader events led to more deaths especially in countries such as India where the health system was overwhelmed.
And Information and Broadcasting Services Permanent Secretary Amos Malupenga urged the media to be more accurate to avoid putting the country on fire.
Mr. Malupenga said the inaccurate report suggesting the postponing of elections by the media yesterday was an example of stories that could attract turmoil in the current sensitive period.
Timely and well done Shindano
Good responsible action. Well done.
Well done, ECZ. When many people contract Covid-19, it is still GRZ to take care of the sick. Only those who are not so well meaning think it is a ploy to disadvantage them. Yet, it was these same people that called for the close down of the country in February/March of 2020 when Zambia had its first imported cases.
UPND wants to hold rallies because it wants to see many people contract Covid-19 so that our hospitals fail to cope and people die and they can blame this on government. In early 2020, the same UPND demanded for a lock down of the country when the first Covid-19 cases were reported because it was hoping this would bring more economic difficulties to the country and they could use this against government. This opposition party has never meant well for the country and does not deserve to govern.
Yes. Good and responsible move. Haven’t they all had enough time for campaign rallies anyway?
PF SENSING DEFEAT. AFTER HH TAKES OVER COPPERBELT ATI WE HAVE BANNED THIS BUT NOT THAT. SIGNS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID.
It’s for the Chief medical Officer in consultation with government who make such decisions; ECZ you are plunging the nation in FIRE.
Llungu takapite still. Whatever tricks you come up with.
HOW COME COVID-19 NUMBERS WENT FROM 0 TO 700 OVERNIGHT AFTER HH FILED FOR HIS NOMINATION? ANSWER THE QUESTION IMWE!
NO THIS IS NOSENSE AS LUNGU AND PF CONTINUE TO CAMPAIGN , UPND DONOT FOLLOW THIS NOSENSE AS THESE
FOOLS ARE JUST LIERS , WHICH COVID , LOOK AT HOW PEOPLE MOVE IN THE MARKETS
AND EVERY WHERE WHAT HAS CHANGED , JUST BECAUSE SOUTH SAYS THIRD WAVE THIS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED
ITS TOTAL NOSENSE . LUNGU , WINA AND LUOP ARE CAMPAIGNING EVERY DAY ANS WASTING NATIONAL RESOURCES TOO
Life comes first. Regardless without campaigns pf will win with 75 percent of vote. Had campaigns being allowed we would have won with 85 percent.
Meanwhile Lazy Lungu and old Grandma Bo Inonge with Luo are going around the country campaigning telling the ignorant people in rural areas that the opposition have no time for you.
I warned the opposition during the Kenyan elections that you should adopted the Odinga formula of making sure ECZ is independent free from interference but they never listened …this is the same ECZ from 5 years ago.
I think the enthusiasm gap has affected the ruling party. Opposition could swing up to 30 seats.
When u see a Ruling Party banning Rallies using the Covid 19 Pandemic as a reason then u know that the Real Pandemic is loss of popular support by the Ruling Party. Becoz of the Hard Economy, PF Gassing, Corruption, mismanagement of the Economy, PF Cadre Violence and Lawlessness etc Zambians are yearning 4 a change of Govt. Corrupt,Cruel,incompetent and clueless ECL and his Panga Family have failed. Time to give HH and UPND Alliance a chance to turnaround this Economy and our lives. On August 12 we should send ECL and PF “ku wire ” without fail. Another 5 years of ECL misrule will be suicidal for
Zambians
They have inflated Covid-19 infection figures to use them as an excuse to ban Rallies for Opposition Political Parties from holding Rallies during the Campaign Period. ECL and PF have been Campaigning thru out the Country under the guise of Working Visits,inspecting Projects and launching Empowerment Deals. Money has now run out and becoz of loss of popular support PF Rallies would be dwarfed by HH and UPND Alliance Rallies Crowd-wise. People are yearning 4 change and have already made their minds to vote 4 change on August 12. On August 12 ECL and PF “ku wire”.
Tarino welcome back. How was your night shift cleaning hospital toilets in London
ECZ is acting beyond its mandate. ECZ is not made up of medical professionals to pronounce on covid. We can see ECZ is already hinting where this thing will end up i.e. no elections. Count my words, very soon we will hear state of emergency due to covid then no elections. ECZ will just say we told you under what circumstances we cannot hold elections.
The nationi is full of Lungu parrots. Lungu bans rallies, Kanganja follows, ECZ follows. I guess DeadNBC backed by the IBA will editorialise the need to ban rallies
Each time PG SG, Davies Mwila speaks, it becomes policy. He started this. Next he might say move election date to December and ECZ will adopt it.
If Americans did not stop their
Campaign during elections at the
Peak of corvid19. Why then zambia
With a small population should worry about corvid19. Let them just take all precautions when going ahead with campaigning.
Meant PF not PG
If Americans did not ban campaign rallies during peak of corvid19 why should zambia with
Small population ban rallies.Just
Take extra precautions with masks.
Saw it coming from miles away… if the opposition did not see this coming then they are not very clever!
They quote the Constitution for the elections date but they ignore the fact that gatherings are also enshrined within the Constitution.
I’m not even sure if ECZ have the legal powers to ban gatherings, aka campaign rallies. The Opposition may have to sacrifice their lives to stop this Lungu dictatorship!
The ECZ is overreaching,arrogating itself powers it doesn’t have and acting unprofessionally .
Come rain or not ni FORWARD IWE, only 67 days left. Tic Toc
AS THEY FINISH OFF THEIR LAST “WORKING” VISIT ECZ BANS ALL FURTHER RALLIES !!!!!!!!!!!
Great decision on time! Hope dull UPND obeys this order by ECZ.
HH and his brainless supporters have caused pain to the Zambians. During the nomination filling, HH called the crowd across Zambia in Lusaka and none of them was wearing the face mask and no social distancing followed. Only because of them the Covid-19 virus started increasing.
Guys, ECZ also warned Zambians that not to listen to fake news circulating on social media, the upcoming general election will happen as scheduled.
Eagerly waiting for the election date as we want to throw HH out of the race. Enough is enough, he is the symbol of destruction!!!!!
I feel pity for those people who are still supporting HH!
And what about those rallies conducted recently by UPND even after it is banned???? They are responsible for the third wave, no law is going to take action against them??????
Which party will get the benefit if lockdown happens and elections get canceled? Obviously UPND, it has struggled a lot to get or adopt the members, existing members left the party and joined PF. It is impossible for HH to get maximum votes and defeat President Lungu. Zambians Beware from UPND.
I always trusted our Constitutional Law, but this time I am disappointed. Images, videos, everything is there that shows how UPND and its supporters crushed the protocol of Covid-19 but still, our law is silent? There is no value to human’s lives???
Good decision! It is now loud and clear that rallies are banned in Zambia. Now, HH and his dull supporters must stop crying by saying that PF is stopping HH from entering provinces.
Now, some haters are denying the fact that the third wave has come in Zambia and claiming that the affected numbers are fake. I think they should wait for few more days when the numbers will be multiplied that time their mouth will be shut.